Buffing wheel



Sept. 26, 1933. H. ZIMMERMAN 1,927,362

BUFFING WHEEL Filed Jan. 31, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet l Haw Zimmerman :21 W mp 6, 1933. H. ZIMMERMAN 1,927,862

BUFFING WHEEL Filed Jan. 51, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Hairy Zimmerman Sept.26, 1933. H, ZIMMERMANV 1,927,862

BUFFING WHEEL Filed. Jan. 31, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 .lnuanl'cn II" HawZimmerman Patented Sept. 26, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BUFFINGWHEEL Ontario, Canada Application January 31, 1931. Serial No. 512,589

3 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in bufiing or polishing wheels andthe object of my invention is to provide a bufiing wheel formed of aplurality of layers of pleated material in which the partially distendedpleats at the periphery of the wheel form air pockets between the foldsand layers of material.

A further and particular object of my invention is to utilize strips ofpleated material which can be used in formation of wheel buffs of thestandard type in which the material radially extends from the buffsupporting spindle at substantially right angles thereto, or for theformation of an end buff or a semiend buff in which the pleated materialinitially extends around or parallel to the buff supporting spindle.

Another object of my invention is to furnish a loud forming strip with asupplementary strip in the vicinity of its outer or bufiing portion, sothat in cases where necessary the working portion of the buff can bebuilt up to a greater width or thickness, and a further and moreparticular object of my invention is to so form my bufis that they donot directly rest upon the buff supporting spindle, but are formed witha comparatively large detachable hub or core piece which detachably fitsabout the spindle so that in this manner the hub or core piece can berepeatedly used with replaced buffs. My invention consists of a buffingor polishing wheel constructed and arranged all as hereinafter moreparticularly described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings inwhich:-

Fig. 1 is an elevational View of my pleated strip showing it partiallywound into a circular buff layer.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the edge of layer such as shown inFigure 1.

Fig. 3 is a magnified view of a fragmentary edge portion of my pleatedstrip, showing the strip formed of two layers of material.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a buff formed of a plurality of layersas illustrated in Figure 2, or a single .spirally wound strip asillustrated in Figure 1.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a buff of the same form as illustrated inFigure 4, showing the provision of a supplementary buffing strip securedto the working portion of the buff in order to give it additionalthickness.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken through the line 6-6,Figure 5.

Fig. '7 is an elevational view of the form of buff illustrated in Figure4, showing concentric rows of stitching extending around the buff.

Fig. 8 is a similar view to Figure 7 showing curved rows of stitchingextending from the vicinity of the inner periphery to the outer periphery of the buff.

Fig. 9 is a reduced elevational view oi a butt such as illustrated inFigure 8, showing the curved rows of stitching intersecting each other.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a detachable hub or core piece which isinsertable into the bufi centre. @5

Fig. 11 is a cross sectional view through a fragmentary portion of anassembled buffing wheel, showing the buds mounted upon a single coreinstead of a plurality of cores as illustrated in Figure 10.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a fragmentary portion of a buffsection, showing a lip formed therein for the retention of an insertedcore piece.

Fig. 13 is a cross sectional view through a chuck mounted upon a buifsupporting spindle, and which contains a semiend bufi formed of a coiledstrip.

Fig. 14 is an end elevational view of the centre arbor of my chuck asillustrated in Figure 13, showing the pleated strip partially woundthereon.

Fig. 15 is a cross sectional view through another form of chuck, showingit containing my pleated strip which is wound thereon to form an endbuff, such strip being built up in the vicinity of its working portionby the provision of a secondary strip which is sewn thereto.

Fig. 16 is a perspective view of a portion of the pleated strip andsecondary strip as used in the form illustrated in Figure 15, and

Fig. 17 illustrates the use of a chuck for turn- .ing over buff sectionssuch as illustrated in Figure 4 in order that an end buff or semiendbuff may be formed.

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in thedifferent views in the drawmgs.

My invention broadly contemplates the use of a pleated strip of fabricor other flaccid material in which the pleats are formed in the stripbefore it is wound into bud form, and in which such pleats extend fromthe inner to the working edge of the bufi, so that such pleated strip aswell as providing a simply formed buff also furnishes through thepartially distended pleats a plurality of substantially uniform zigzagedges of fabric forming air pockets in the buff, which of course tend tokeep the buff cool when in use as well as forming pockets for buffingcompound. I am aware that heretofore in the art buffs have been made ofstrips oil material which were gathered around a central hub asthe'strips were laid in place, but it is obvious that ch gathering wasonly resorted to in order to fit the material strips about the centralhub.

As illustrated in Figures 51 and d of drawings the strip of material 1or which my butts are made, is of pleated form, such pleats 2 eaten fromedge to edge of the material, and when the strip is wound into a buiilngring the outer partions 3 of the pleats are partially distended so thata plurality of air compound receiving pockets d are formed between suchdistended pleats.

In the pleated strip as illustrated in Figure 3 I utilize twothicknesses of material 1 and 5 which are laid one on top of the otherand pleated. A bumng ring section such as illustrated in Figure 4 may beeither made up of a plurality of separate layers 6 as illustrated inFigure 2 or formed of a continuous spirally wound strip as illustratedin Figure i.

For the handling of my pleated strip 1 I have found it preferable to runa row or stitching l or other securing means along its inner edge whichprevents the pleats opening when the strip is being handled and alsoensures that the pleats uniformly spread apart when the strip wound intocircular form. This is oi course carried out through the placing oi thestrip around the centre of the correct diameter. .[is the pleated stripis wound around the centre the layers of wound strip are sewn togethersc that when the section is complete the layers are secured to= gatherand the section can be bodily iii-ted d the centre, and is substantiallyoi the form illustrated in Figure 4.

As the pleats must necessarily be increasingly distended, as they extendfrom the er to the outer edge of the bufi it necessarily follows that inthe butt section the thickness of material in the bufi decreases fromthe centre to the outer edge. The amount of decrease is so small that inmost cases it is a negligible factor, especially in the case of what isknown as the loose bud. It, however, an added thickness of the bud atits working edge is required, this can be attained through the provisionof a secondary pleated strip 8, which is of less width than the pleatedstrip i, and is wound around and sewn to the ring in= termediately oithe width of the strip 1, as clear= is; illustrated in Figures and 6.

The bull sections illustrated in Figures '7, 8 and 9 are formed in thesame manner as that illustrated in Figures 2 and 4, but in these casesare sewn to form what are known as cutting buffs. In the buffillustrated in Figure 'l the rows 01 stitching 9 are concentric with thebull. In the form illustrated in Figure 8 the rows of stitching 10 areof curved form and extend from the vi cinity of the inner edge of thebull to its outer edge so that there is a large proportion of air pocketspace extending inwardly from the working edge of the buff, and in theform illustrated in Figure 9 the rows of stitching 10 are intersected byopposed similar rows of stitching 11.

My buifing rings as illustrated in Figures 4, 5, Z and 8 are inthemselves complete and are formed with comparativelylargeorifices 12which receive detachable hubs or core pieces upon which the rings arecarried. By forming the bufis in this manner a. greater saving ofmaterial is efiected as the greater percentage of the material in thering sections can be used for bufling so that when the used rings arediscarded the hub or core pieces of course can be used again.

senses These hub'or core pieces which of course form an essential partof the bufl assembly can be either Iormed or individual core sectionseach adapted to receive or. be insertable within the The core section asillustrated in Figure 10 is adapted to be inserted into one ringsection, and'I have found it particularly satisfactory to form such coresection oi fabric material consisting. of layers of fabric 13 which aresecured together bycrlsscross rows of stitching 14. Such core section isformed with a. central orifice 15 through which the bud spindle isinserted in the usual manner. In. order that the core sections asillustrated in Figure 10 may be retained in the bumng ring sections forhandling purposes in making up the bumng wheel, I have formed the budsections with an inner lip or shoulder 16 such as illustrated in Figure12 and against which the edge of the core section rests. The lip orshoulder 16 as illustrated has of course been greatly magnified in thedrawings, and in practice is formed from the first convolution of layeroi the strip, which is made of slightly smaller diameter than thesucceeding convolutions or layers.

When the billing wheel is being made up the ring and core sections areplaced side by side upon the touting spindle or the type illustrated inFigure .11 and the bufling ring sections tightly squeezed together bymeans of a draw plate assembly such as illustrated.

In the construction illustrated in Figure 11 instead of furnishing anindividual core section for each ring section I provide a single corepiece upon which a plurality of ring sections are carried. Such corepiece 17 is preferably made of rigid material such as wood and iscarried upon a log spindle l8, and is preferably formed with aperipheral shoulder 19 at one end which prevents the end buff sectionfrom slipping oh the core when the bull sections are being assembledthereon.

In the form of semiend bufi illustrated in Figure 17 I use a pluralityof ring sections of decreasing internal diameter and carried upon coresections 20 which are necessarily of difierent diameters to fit theirrespective. bumng rings. The ring sections are secured together by adraw plate assembly upon the spindle 18, the inner diameter of the ringsections increasing from the outer end of the spindle. Between adjoiningring sections I furnish spacing plates 21 which are of slightly largerdiameter than the core pieces upon which such adjoining ring sectionsare mounted in order to prevent the ring sections from slipping offtheir core pieces on to the smaller adjoining core pieces.

Inthe construction as illustrated in Figure 17 the bull spindle assemblycarries an open ended cylindrical member 22 which rotates therewith, andthe open end 23 of such cylindrical member bears against the ringsections 2d whereby they are bent into the form illustrated. The outerplate 25 of the draw plate assembly is recessed into the end coresection which has an enlarged central orifice, such recessed plate 25being formed for the reception of the nut 26 so that such nut does notproject beyond the outer face oi. the outer bufl; In this manner anypossibility of the nut 26 rubbing against the article being buffed isobviated. v

In the type of buffs illustrated in Figures 13, 14 and 15 my pleatedstrip is coiled into ring form around the member supported by thebufling spindle so that the wound strip lies substantially co-axial withthe spindle. Any suitable form of bufi retaining chuck can be used suchas the type ilustrated in Figure 15, wherein a central screw 27 isthreaded into the central spindle 28 of the chuck and has its headbearing against an expandable inner jaw 29, so that when the screw 27 isthreaded inwardly the jaw 29 moves outwardly and presses the layers offabric against each other, and also against the outer jaws of the outerportion 30 of the chuck. The chuck carries an adjustably mountedcylindrical member 31, the outer end 32 of which bears against theflared buff fabric so that the tightness of the outer portion of thebuff can be adjusted at will, and when worn can also be adjusted for anew length.

The type of buff as illustrated in Figure 15 is what is known as an endbuff and is used for buffing the inside of concave articles such asheadlight reflectors, and it is therefore essential that the buffpresent an unbroken surface across its end 33, so that a completebufling of the article is attained, it being readily perceived that thefabric of the buff will have a decided tendency to move radially undercentrifugal force, as the buff rotates at a high sped, such movementtending to leave the face 33 of the buff open about its centre ofrotation.

In order to compensate for this and also to furnish a well filled buff Iattach a secondary strip of pleated fabric 34 to the buffing portion ofthe strip 1, of which the buff is formed, as illustrated in Figure 16.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that I have devised avery simple and efficient way of building various types of buffing orpolishing wheels from pleated fabric strips, in which such pleats permitthe ready formation of the strips into any desired curvature and alsoprovide air and bufflng compound retaining pockets within the buffs,which are so necessary in keeping the buffs cool when in use, andalthough I have shown my pleated strips put together in various forms itis to be understood that I can make such changes and alterations in mybufis, as I may deem necessary without departing from the spirit of myinvention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim as my intention is:

1. A bufling wheel comprising a bufling \ring portion, a central hubportion detachably contained within the ring portion, said ring portioncomprising a plurality of layers of pleated fabric strip in which thepleats extend from the inner periphery to partially distended form atthe outer periphery of the ring portion, and a shoulder formed upon oneedge of the orifice in the buffing ring portion whereby the ring isretained against lateral movement in one direction on the hub.

2. A bufling wheel comprising a buffing ring portion, a central hubportion upon which the ring portion is mounted, said ring portioncomprising a plurality of layers of pleated fabric strip in which thepleats extend from the hub to the working face of the ring, and an openended cylindrical member mounted for rotation coaxially with the hub andhaving its open end bearing against one end layer of the bufling ringportion.

3. A buffing wheel comprising a plurality of layers of pleated fabricstrip in which the pleats are substantially uniform and extended fromthe inner periphery to the outer periphery of the wheel, the pleatsbeing initially secured in place in the vicinity of the inner peripheraledge of the strip and partially distended at the outer periphery of thewheel to present an unbroken zigzag edge.

HARRY ZIMMERMAN.

